The 8 per thousand is worth one billion, 70 per cent goes to the Catholic Church
Out of a total of just over 41 million Italian taxpayers, only 40.74% (around 16 million) expressly chose to whom to allocate the 8 per mille, while the majority (58.68%, more than 24 million taxpayers) did not indicate to whom to give it
2' min read
Key points
2' min read
The largest slice of the eight per thousand of the Irpef income tax will once again be allocated to the Catholic Church this year, even though the percentage of Italian taxpayers who expressly choose to allocate it to the Italian Episcopal Conference in their income tax returns has been steadily, albeit slightly, falling in recent years. This is what emerges from the data published by the Finance Department of the MEF on taxpayers' choices and the amounts disbursed in the current year, referring to the 2020 tax year, to which provisional data on the choices for the 2021 and 2022 tax years have been added.
The eight per thousand is worth one billion 320 thousand euro
.In 2024, out of a total of approximately one billion 320 thousand euro from the eight per thousand, slightly less than 70% (68.59%) went to the Catholic Church, amounting to just over 990 million euro. This was followed by the Italian State with approximately 340 million (25.62%) collected and the Evangelical Waldensian Church with 40.3 million (3.04%). The Italian Buddhist Union, on the other hand, received a little over 14 million (1.05%), with the other religious denominations far behind.
Only 40.74% of taxpayers chose to whom to allocate the 8 per mille
.The tables also show that out of just over 41 million total Italian taxpayers, only 40.74% (about 16 million) expressly chose to whom to allocate the 8 per thousand, while the majority (58.68%, more than 24 million taxpayers) did not indicate to whom to give it. The Catholic Church was indicated in 70.37% of the total number of choices expressed and 28.67% of the total number of taxpayers.
The decline in those choosing the Catholic Church continues
.The percentage of those who choose the Catholic Church is however, albeit by a few points, steadily decreasing: in 2021 (the total amount in euro of the eight per thousand, which will be apportioned in 2025, is not yet known) 69.52% of the total number of choices expressed, while in 2022 (again, the amount is not yet known, which will be apportioned in 2026) 67.28% of the total number of choices expressed. On the contrary, the choices expressed in favour of the State grow: from 24% in 2020 to 26.79% in 2022. And those who choose to allocate the eight per thousand precisely to the State do so for various reasons: a substantial share to contribute to school construction or to deal with disasters. For the Catholic Church, unlike the other confessions, the mechanism provides for the disbursement of a down payment and an adjustment (referring to the third previous year), which for 2024 amounts to approximately 80 million euro.
What happens if the choice is not expressed
.In the case of non-expressed choices, the distribution is made in the same proportion as the expressed choices, with the exception of some denominations, which have decided to waive their share of the non-expressed choices.
